Sickle sharpener



Aug. 30, 1960 F. H. SHADLE 2,950,577

SICKLE SHARPENER Filed Dec. 23, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Floyd h! Shad/eINVEN TOR.

Aug. 30, 1960 F. H. SHADLE 2,950,577

SICKLE SHARPENER Filed Dec. 23, 195? a Sheets-Sheet. 2

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Floyd 1-). Shad/e mmvron.

BY awn Aug. 30, 1960 F. H. SHADLE SICKLE SHARPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Dec. 23, 1957 F/ayd H. Shad/e IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent SICKLE SHARPENER Floyd H. Shadle, Minatare, Nebr.

Filed Dec. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 704,816

12 Claims. (Cl. 51-56) This invention relates to an improved sicklesharpener adapted to sharpen a sickle or other similar blade quickly andwith precision.

The primary object of the present invention resides in the provision ofa precision sickle sharpener which employs a cup-stone precision grinderwheel rather than a V-stone grinder as is conventionally used.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of aprecision sickle sharpener which employs a cupped-stone which is soarranged that the bevel provided on the cutting teeth of a sickle may bereadily adjusted and in which the sickle stays in the machine during theentire sharpening operation eliminating the usually tiring job ofhandling the sickle blade manually.

One of the features of the invention lies in the means for indexing thesickle blade as it is moved successively along the stand so that onetooth at a time may be readily sharpened on either side of the tooth. Anadditional feature of the invention lies in the fact that pressure ofthe stone is applied with a touch of the hand into the edge and thesickle is not placed against the stone thereby enabling better controlof the sharpening process. A stone of relatively soft material isemployed to avoid burning the section of the sickle blade beingsharpened.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in theprovision of a precision sickle sharpener'that may be used as either astationary or portable unit, will conveniently and rapidly sharpensickle blades of any make and any length as desired, and which isrelatively inexpensive to manufacture thereby permitting wide use anddistribution.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of theinvention which will become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are attained by this sickle sharpener, a preferred embodimentof which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way ofexample only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sickle sharpener comprising thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of'the invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the sickle sharpener;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail View in an enlarged scale as taken alongthe plane of line 4-4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view as taken along the planeof line 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a partial plan view illustrating the manner in which thegrinder is used to grind the edges of a sickle;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a portion of the sickle showing the indexingmeans for moving the sickle in detail;

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional detail view as taken along the planeof line 83 in Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is a sectional detail view as taken along the plane of line 99in Figure 8.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein likereference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views,reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the improved sicklegrinder comprising the present invention which includes a stand 12including spaced legs as at 14 and 16 and a brace leg work assembly 18of any suitable configuration as desired which carries a shaft 20 whichextends upwardly therefrom. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 20 is a motormounting assembly 22 which includes a sleeve 24 rotatable about theshaft 20 and a brace 26 supported on the assembly 22 and rotatable withrespect thereto which is fixed to the stand 12 for support thereof.

The stand 12 is adapted to support a sickle blade 28 thereon. A pair ofclamp members 32 and 34 are provided and are used to hold the blade 28on the stand 12. Each of these clamp members includes a channel member36 fixed to the stand 12. Engaging members 40 are carried by brackets4-2 which brackets and engaging members 4! are urged by a screw-typewing-headed clamp fastener 44 towards the longitudinally extendingmember of the stand 12, the tension on the engaging member 40 beingadjusted by the tension provided on the springs 46 due to the positionof the head of the fastener 44.

There is provided means for automatically indexing and positioning theblade 28 so that successive teeth thereof may be engaged by the grinderof this sickle sharpening machine. This indexing means can be best seenin Figures 1, and 7-9 and includes a triangular shape indexing member 48which is resiliently urged by a spring 54} seating within a recess 52therein into an upper position relative to an indexing assembly 54including a shaft 56 which extends through the plates 58 and 60 of theindexing assembly, the plates being held in spaced relationship byfasteners 62 and 64 and spacers 66 and 68. The fasteners 62 and 6 extendupwardly and are engageable within a slot 76 in the stand 12. Anoperating handle 72 is attached to the indexing assembly 54 for movementthereof. The slot 70 is precisely of the size that movement of the lever72 will cause the head of the fastener 64 to abut that portion of thestand 12 limited by the end of the slot '70 thus indexing andpositioning the blade 28 which has been urged into motion through theengagement of the triangular block 48 between adjacent teeth thereof. Ofcourse, for different size blades and difierent size teeth, differentindexing assemblies '54 having different spaces between the fasteners 62and 64 are provided.

The motor mounting assembly 22 includes a cylindrical support 84) inwhich a cylindrical mounting head 82 is hingedly attached as at 85 andlatched into place as at 87. Carried by the head 82 are a pair ofcylindrical guides 84 and 86 which, see Figure 4, are engageable byrollers 88 and 29 mounted in the members 94 and 96 of a slide 98. Theslide 98 has a bracket 1% adjustably secured thereto as by fasteners 101on either side thereof which bracket lot carries a motor 152 ofconventional construction. The motor 1G2 drives a pulley 1G4.

The slide 98 includes a bracket 110. A rod 112 is fixed to the bracket110. The rod 112 extends through the bracket 116 and its uppermostposition is limited by the head 114 thereof. The other end of thebracket is fixed toa grinder assembly 116 including a pulley wheel 118for rotating shaft 129 on which the grinder head l22is mounted. Theendless belt 124 whichisentrained about the pulley 104 is also entrainedabout the pulley 118 for rotating the shaft 120 and hence the grinderhead 122. The spring 113 normally urges the grinder assembly and hencethe grinder head 122 into a raised position. In order to lower thegrinder head, there is provided a first arm 126 which is bifurcated asat 128 and which receives between the bifurcations thereof the fulcrumportion of an operating lever 132 which is pinned to the bifurcations asat 130 in a pivotal manner. The end 134 of which is pivotally pinned asat 136 to the bifiircated portion 138 ofjan arm 140, the other endofwhich isisecured to the bracket 110. Hence, the downward motion of theoperating lever#132 will serve to depress the grinder head 122 intoengagement with the k teeth of the sickle bar. There is provided meansfor aligning the grinder head 122 with the teeth successively at adesired angular position of the grinder head 122 and at opposite angularinclinations for the opposite sides of the tooth. v

The grinder assembly 116 includes a shaft 142 which 7 has 'afiixedthereto a latching member 144 including a spring operated plunger 146which is adapted to extend into the apertures 148 or 150 provided in theplates indexing plate 160 fixed to the slide 98. Indexing indicia as at164 and 166 is provided for adjusting the angle of the bevel to 20degrees, 2 2 /2 degrees, 25 degrees-or any other common bevel angle forsickle teeth. In order to position the slide during the grinding opieration there is provided a handle 200.

This improved sickle sharpener functions very efficiently and can'be setup for sharpening quite quickly. First, the sickle is placed on thestand 12 and the grinder head 122 is positioned for grinding the righthand sides of the teeth. The sickle bar is carried through the machineby means of the indexing arrangement and the grinder assembly may thenbe pivoted to the opposite side for grinding the other side of theteeth. The setting of the bevel is accomplished by placing va sickle barin the machine and then adjusting the plates 152 and 154 to the desiredangle.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those. 'skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A sickle blade sharpener of the type having a support stand adaptedto support a sickle blade, an assembly, including a motor drivinglyconnected to a grinder wheel 'supporting'shaft, mounted on said stand,and an indexing means for longitudinally positioning the blade onthe'stand' in relation to the grinder wheel; said indexing meanscomprising a triangular shaped member adapted to be' positioned in theopenings between each pair of teeth of a sickle blade, said memberhaving side portions adapted to abut the confronting cutting edges ofsaid pair of teeth and means mounting said indexing means ion said standfor longitudinal sliding movement between a first and second limitposition, said positions defining the distance between the openings ofadjoining teeth,

means for lowering said indexing member to a position 'below said firstlimit position registering with one of said openings, and longitudinallyof said stand to said second limit position below and registering with,the open- 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said stand '152 and154'secured'by fasteners 156 and 158 to a g has a horizontal sectionwith a slot therein, said mounting means comprising a pair of horizontalplates slidably mounted on said stand, said plates being in spacedrelation and disposed above and below said section, spacers mountedbetween said plates and disposed for movement in said slot.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the ends of said slot define thedistance between said limit positions.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said lowering means comprises ahandle having one end pivotally mounted on the underside of said standfor movementabout a vertical and along a horizontal axis, with saidindexing means mounted on a shaft slidingly received through saidplates, and with the lower end of said shaft secured to said handlewhereupon downward movement of the other end of said shaft will lowerand disengage said indexing means from one opening between pairs ofteeth below said blade, and the horizontal movement of said lastmentioned end will position said indexing means below the openingbetween an adjoiningpair of teeth.

5. The combination of claim 4 including means for pivotally mountingsaid assembly on said stand for movement about a vertical axis.

6. The combination of claim 5 including means for pivotally mountingsaid grinder wheel shaft for movement about an axis extendingtransversely of said shaft between first and second limit positions. Y7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said last men- 'tioned limitpositions define the angles at which'opposite sides'of said teeth willbe ground, and include means for adjusting said last mentioned limitpositions.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said assembly includes a firstsection which supports said motor and said grinder shaft, and a secondsection which is pivotally connected to said stand, said first sectionbeing slidably mounted on said second section whereby said grinder wheeland shaft may be moved transversely of said blade and longitudinallyalong the cutting edges of said teeth. 9. The combination of claim 1including means for pivotally mounting said assembly on said stand formovement about a vertical axis.

10. The combination of claim 1 including means for pivotally mountingsaid grinder wheel shaft for movement about an axis extendingtransversely of said shaft between first and second limit positions.

' 11. The combination of claim 1 wherein said last mentioned limitpositions define the angles at which opposite sides of said teeth willbe ground, and include means for adjusting said last mentioned limitpositions.

l2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said last mentioned limitpositions define the angles at which opposite sides of said teeth willbe ground, and include means for adjusting said last mentioned limitpositions, said assembly including a first section which supports saidmotor and said grinder shaft, and a second section which is pivotallyconnected to said stand, said first section being slidably mounted onsaid second section whereby said grinder wheel and shaft may be movedtransversely of said blade and longitudinally along the cutting edges'of said teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNetherlands July 15, 1939

